Chapter Seven Angel of Mercy
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The next few hours were some of the most challenging of Brie’s entire life. She helped reset a broken nose, pulled an enormous fish hook out of a man’s calf muscle, hung IV fluids for a couple of food poisoning victims, and comforted a hysterical first-time mother whose infant son had a hundred-degree fever.
By lunchtime, she was exhausted.
She’d just sat down for the first time since breakfast when Denise slammed a thick file on the counter in front of her. “Your orientation forms,” she said brusquely. “Know every policy. Know every procedure. Know every standard. Attend all necessary appointments. Leave no box unchecked. Or I will find you.” She stomped off without further explanation.
Brie looked at the mountain of paperwork and the maelstrom of activity swirling around her and decided to find sanctuary elsewhere.
There was one place in every hospital that was by its very nature quieter and cooler than every other. The morgue. It was a useful, if not morbid, habit she’d picked up during clinical rotations in Georgia: always do your paperwork in the morgue.
She knocked first. Even though the pathologists were likely out to lunch themselves, she was in unfamiliar territory and might need to make an alliance before she was allowed to use their space.
To her surprise, someone answered.
“Can I help you?” asked a friendly-looking woman with skin the color of coffee and a beautiful head scarf.
“Yes, I was wondering—”
“You’re Denise’s new shadow,” the woman said, smiling and opening the door a little more.
“How can you tell?”
The lady nodded at the enormous stack of forms.
“I’ve never seen you before, but I know an orientation packet when I see one.” She took a step back and gestured with her hand. “Come on in.”
Brie gratefully walked into the cool room. “Thank you so much. This was always my spot at my last hospital because it was—”
“The coolest place in the whole joint.”
“Exactly.” Brie grinned and extended a hand. “I’m Brie, by the way.”
“Rashida.”
They shook, and Brie barely avoided dropping all the files onto the floor. The woman steadied the more precarious ones with a cheerful laugh. “Maybe you’d better sit down.”
Brie put her paperwork and sad-looking sandwich down on the nearest available table and pulled up a chair. “Seriously, thanks for this. I know it’s your territory, and I don’t want to impose—”
“Nonsense, I’m glad for the company. You’re much livelier than my usual lunchmates.”
Brie shot a look at the rows of horizontal body lockers lining the wall and laughed nervously. “Yes, I imagine so.”
Rashida cocked her head appraisingly, looking her up and down. “I heard you had a baptism by fire this morning.”
Brie stopped unwrapping her sandwich and glanced up. “What do you mean?”
“Weren’t you the one on the code with Dr. Matthews? The one who called him out?”
Brie lowered her lunch, horrified. “How do you even know about that?”
“News travels fast around here,” said Rashida. “Especially when so many examples of his handiwork end up in my domain.”
“What do you mean?”
The woman was unboxing some Tupperware that contained a heavenly-smelling rice dish.
“Matthews has the highest mortality rate in the hospital,” she said perfunctorily.
Brie’s eyes widened. “That wasn’t… that wasn’t the first time it’s happened?”
Rashida shook her head.
“We call him Dr. Death. He’s been brought up before the M&M review board three times, but they’ve never been able to prove negligence. Always say he’s justified in his decisions. Eventually, people just stopped registering complaints. It doesn’t make any difference except for making us look insubordinate. Denise is the only one who stands up to him anymore, and that’s because — well, you’ve met her. It’s possible she’s too powerful to fail.”
Brie laughed nervously. “She does seem formidable.”
Rashida nodded and talked around a bite. “Very. But fair. Best charge nurse in this place.” She swallowed. “If someone in my family was sick, she’s who I’d want taking care of them.”
Brie picked at her sandwich, feeling troubled. “Did people say I was insubordinate, too?”
The woman laughed. “Don’t worry. If Matthews hates you, it can only be a point in your favor. Nobody likes that greasy little rat. Also, call me Ida.”
“Ida, you are a breath of fresh air on an otherwise oxygen-free day.”
“Pleased to meet you, too.”
The two spent the rest of their lunch break chatting occasionally and slogging through their respective mountains of paperwork. When it was time for Brie to head back upstairs, Ida walked her to the door. “Come back tomorrow. Bring coffee.”
Brie saluted in return. “Of course.”
Then Ida opened the door and gasped. “Holy mother of Zeus!”
Brie’s chest tightened in a panic that was becoming all too familiar. “What is it?”
Without waiting for an answer, she rushed to the door herself, only to find her own personal guardian angel standing in the frame. He was holding coffee.
“Brianna. Keeper of the Dead.” He nodded to each of them in turn and flashed a breathtaking smile, extending the paper cups. “I thought these might help brighten your day.”
Rashida turned to Brie with a dumbfounded expression. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but you can’t have male escorts in the hospital.” She glanced back at the angel. “Even if they look like that.”
“I didn’t… he’s not…” Brie stuttered in consternation and took a deep breath. “Ida, this is Cameron. Cameron, Ida. She’s a forensic pathologist,” she added pointedly. “Not ‘The Keeper of the Dead.’ Mostly because this isn’t ancient Egypt.”
“Except that I much prefer his title,” Rashida chuckled, blushing simultaneously. “It has a lovely ring to it. Is this your boyfriend?”
Brie considered her reply. “We have a shared love of Schumann.”
The woman nodded slowly. “Well, whoever you are, thank you very much.” She popped open the lid and glanced up in surprise. “How did you know I like chai?”
There was an awkward pause, in which Brie looked briefly heavenward.
“Ida, it was so good to meet you,” she said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
In a move that was becoming increasingly familiar, she grabbed Cameron by the elbow and steered him back into the hallway before he could say or do anything to incriminate himself.
Or worse, frighten my coworkers on my FIRST day on the job.
The second they were out of sight, she whirled around to face him. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“Bringing you a beverage that is bad for your blood pressure.”
She made a sound of pure exasperation. “I am working , Cameron. You can’t just show up at my job. They’ll fire me. It’s unprofessional.”
He stared back with a measured expression. “Brianna, this is my work, too.”
That stopped her in her tracks. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He stared a moment longer, then let out a quiet sigh. “You should get that.”
“Get what?”
In hindsight, she probably should have been expecting the pager. But no matter how often her angel warned her, those things kept catching her off guard.
She cursed in surprise, almost dropping the pages all over again. She glanced at the device, backing away as she did. “Listen, I have to go. Do not follow me. You can’t be here.”
He stared in silence as she hurried towards the elevator, banged frantically on the button, and slipped inside. It wasn’t until the doors were sliding shut that he appeared suddenly by her side.
She cursed again, clutching at her heart. “ Cameron ! Don’t do that!”
“You said not to follow you.”
“I meant don’t come with me.”
He looked at her calmly. “We’re going to the same place.”
By the time that finally registered, the doors were opening on the emergency room floor.
Maybe it was the coffee churning away in her stomach, or perhaps it was the sight of all those busy faces she was trying so hard to impress. But the bewilderment and curiosity that had informed her every emotion since their fateful meeting faded, then hardened into an indignant rage.
“Cameron, this is my place of work,” she snapped, jabbing a finger into his chest. “My new job. My first day. I understand that you’re trying to protect me, but—”
He pressed a silencing finger to her lips. “Brianna, right now, no one can see me but you.”
Now he tells me.
She looked out the elevator doors again, this time in acute mortification, but didn’t see any immediate red flags. An orderly looked at her strangely, perhaps wondering why she’d been quietly shouting at herself, but otherwise, she appeared to be in the clear. She lifted the papers, hiding her face.
“We are not done talking about this.”
Cameron gave a slight, benign nod. “As you wish.”
She stalked to the nurse’s station and put the files away before running to room sixteen to join Denise. The woman glanced over at her with a scowl the second she entered.
“Took you long enough.”
“I’m sorry, I was—”
“I don’t care.” She nodded down at the patient in the bed. “This is Esther Abrams. She’s been in here on and off with a case of pneumonia for months. Whenever we think we’ve got it under control, it flares up again. Her daughter keeps panicking and calling the ambulance when she can’t stop coughing.”
“I’m afraid I’ve made quite a nuisance of myself,” chimed in the old lady before succumbing to a hacking cough. Brie immediately grabbed a fistful of tissues and placed them into her hand.
Denise observed this with a practiced, keen eye. “Nurse Weldon, you are going to stay with Ms. Abrams this afternoon. You will monitor her condition and page me immediately if there are any changes or concerns. Is this understood?”
“Yes, of course,” Brie replied immediately, though, in truth, she didn’t understand why she wouldn’t be shadowing Denise as she made her afternoon rounds.
Why aren’t we transferring her to the ICU?
The charge nurse took a step towards her and inclined her head. “I am fond of Ms. Abrams and would be extremely disappointed should her standard of care be even slightly deficient. Is that understood?”
Ah. Gotcha.
“Absolutely understood.”
Denise turned to Esther with a stern command. “Get better.” Then she turned on her heel and left.
Esther chuckled quietly. “She’s a tough cookie, that one,” she rasped in a near whisper. “But as good as they come.”
Brie had already begun adjusting the pillows and familiarizing herself with the woman’s chart.
“It’s my first day, but I’ve already heard that same thing from a few people,” she agreed. “Can I get you a glass of water? We should try to keep you hydrated as much as possible.”
“Call me Esther, please.” She sank back against the pillows as if exhausted by even this brief conversation. “Your first day, you say? So that’s why they’ve got you babysitting an old bat like me.”
She chuckled before another series of coughs took her down. This fit was a bad one, worse than the others. Brie got more tissues and held her as her fragile body was wracked with coughs. When it finally subsided, she sank back down again, weaker than ever.
“Try to rest, Esther. We’ll get you feeling better soon.”
For a long time, the two women sat in comfortable silence. One was staring out the window, the other was holding the box of tissues and holding her hand.
After a while, Esther finally spoke. “I understand why you’re here, but what did I do to deserve that handsome fella?”
Brie stared in confusion for a moment, then spun around to see Cameron standing by the door. A rush of panic washed over her as she pushed quickly to her feet, about to make a million excuses and murder the angel where he stood. Then she froze, perfectly still.
She can see him. What does that mean?
“Hello, Esther.” He smiled warmly and came to her bedside. “How are you feeling today?”
She let out a weary sigh. “Young man, it is impossible that one so vibrant as you could understand how tired I feel.”
Cameron took her hand, perching beside her on the bed. “Perhaps I can help.”
The moment they touched, the woman’s features completely transformed. The deep lines between her brows smoothed, her breathing evened, and her expression seemed to clear.
“Oh!” she gasped, eyes shining. “How did you…?”
Cameron continued to hold her hand.
“Stop,” Brie whispered in a panic. “You can’t.”
The angel threw her a sympathetic look but didn’t move.
At any rate, there was no further need for excuses or explanations. As the two of them watched, Esther’s wonder softened into understanding and then, at last, acceptance.
Her lips parted for a moment, then she gave a rueful chuckle. “I knew you were too handsome to be real.”
“I’m real, Esther,” he replied. “Just not of this world.”
Looking back on it later, it would always strike Brie how very strange it was to hear them speaking. He didn’t talk to her the way one usually addressed their elders — with the unintentional detachment that sprang from a barrier of so many years. He spoke as if they were equals.
His eyes were warm and welcoming. His fingers stroked back her brittle hair.
“I always hoped there would be more. But sometimes, I found it difficult to believe.” She looked into his eyes, worried. “Has my lack of faith kept me from seeing my Simon again?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, he’s here now.”
He leaned back, and Esther’s face lit with joy.
“Simon!” she cried. “Oh, Simon…”
Brie looked on as the woman greeted someone who wasn’t there, her own eyes sweeping nothing but a blank wall. A feeling of helplessness came over her, paired with a shivering dread.
“Isn’t there anything we can do?” she whispered to Cameron. “Can’t you save her?”
He glanced at her, never letting go of Esther’s hand. “I am saving her,” he murmured. “Saving her from an agonizing death. Saving her from drowning on dry land. Allowing her to pass away peacefully in the arms of her true love.”
He turned back to the old woman, now happily carrying on a conversation with her favorite person in the world, whom only she could see. His lips curved in a tender expression as he stroked the grizzled curls away from her eyes.
“Go ahead and do your job, Brianna,” he said softly. “I will continue to do mine.”
She’d been rooted to the spot, taking in the incredible scene in front of her, but his words galvanized her into action. She checked Esther’s stats and saw they were dropping. She paged Denise immediately and called for a crash cart to have at the ready. She was about to try to break through Esther’s reverie to talk to her again when Denise rushed back into the room.
“What is it?”
“Ms. Abrams is about to crash. I can tell. Just trust me. I have everything prepped, and you said to notify you as soon as there was any change, so I—”
At that moment, the heart monitor flatlined.
“There it is,” Brie cried. “Okay, so call the code, and we’ll—”
Denise took her shoulders and looked her square in the face. “Weldon. She’s a DNR. We aren’t calling a code.”
Brie looked down at the patient, trembling where she stood. “But you said—”
“Her breath sounds were virtually nonexistent. She was dying when she arrived. This was end-of-life care. She shouldn’t have been in the ER in the first place. She should have passed away peacefully at home. Her daughter just didn’t understand.” She paused a moment before finishing more gently. “I told you to take care of her because I knew she’d like you.”
She walked over to the monitor and turned off the sound. Then they stood and watched the thin green line continue horizontally across the screen. Just a few seconds and it was over.
Denise saw a lovely old woman quietly pass away.
Brie saw a lovely old woman and a beautiful angel of mercy become completely suffused in golden light. It haloed them for a suspended moment, illuminating all those passing memories, all those blissful years, then the light passed entirely to the angel, and he blinked away in a flash.
She opened her mouth but could find nothing to say.
Denise glanced her way and, in a moment of empathy, clapped a hand on her shoulder. “I also picked you because I thought you could handle it. Some of the rookies don’t have the stomach for this, and they don’t know it yet. You? You’ve got a steel core in there somewhere. I can see it.”
She clapped her on the back once more, a gesture of goodwill that might well have left a mark, then turned and walked out of the room, calling over her shoulder. “I’ll send in the on-call doctor for the time of death. Don’t forget to chart.”
Brie was left standing alone in the room with Esther’s body, reeling from what she’d just witnessed. When Cameron appeared again beside her, she stood there, too shaken to move.
“Brianna?” he said hesitantly. “Are you alright?”
Am I?
She considered for a suspended moment — one that went on much longer than she was aware of at the time. Slowly she rose onto her tiptoes, took his face in her hands, and kissed him on his cheek.
“I’m fine.”
It was at that moment Dr. Matthews and Sherry walked into the room.